When the men’s basketball team tips off against West Virginia tonight, there will be a name in the starting lineup unfamiliar to many opponents: Bryan Nieman.

Perhaps few people have heard about the 6-foot-6-inch guard from Raleigh because he played only 10 minutes last season in six games as a walk-on for former coach Herb Sendek.

But with point guard Engin Atsur struggling with an injury, Nieman will get his second career start for the Pack, a sweet reward for a player whose journey to N.C. State was long and complex.

High School

Nieman played soccer and basketball at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School in Raleigh, where he was cut from the basketball team his freshman year.

“I got cut seventh, eighth and ninth grade,” Nieman said. “I didn’t make the middle-school team both years, and then I got cut in ninth grade.”

Nieman said his mother inspired him to keep trying and her advice paid off as he was offered a spot on the team as a manager.

“My mom, she kept me going,” Nieman said. “I was devastated when I didn’t make the high-school team. She’s the one that actually talked me in to becoming a manager. So I was the manager for JV, someone quit and I got a spot. That was probably what gave me the opportunity to join the team, and it ended up working out well.”

Nieman’s success at the high-school level grew as he grew in height. According to Nieman, he was 5-feet-8-inches when he entered high school, and he grew about three inches every year of high school, giving him his current 6-foot-6-inch stature.

Nieman played beside former Wake Forest standout Eric Williams, and averaged 12 points, five rebounds and five assists as a senior, as his team won a conference championship in 2000 to 2001.

Years at Winthrop and Gulf Coast Community College,

After receiving some offers from a few Division III schools, Bryan said he felt Winthrop was the best place for him to shine, and he felt his dream of playing Division I basketball was complete there.

“At that time my goal had been met,” Nieman said. “I was playing Division I. I mean, I was playing college ball, and I was ecstatic. I got good minutes at the beginning of the year.”

Nieman faced some adversity with an injury going into his sophomore year, and when he realized his chances at earning a scholarship at Winthrop were slim, he decided it was time for a change in schools.

“Coach [Gregg] Marshall had always said I would be a great player in that league and I believed him,” Nieman said. “And I believed that he believed that. And at the end of my sophomore year, after not playing much, not even practicing much that whole sophomore year because of injury, he wasn’t ready to give me a scholarship. He had said I would get a scholarship after one or two years.”

Nieman said he began to think that he could walk on at more successful Division I schools if he was not going to play for a scholarship.

“Literally, what I was thinking was that I could probably go to N.C State and walk on,” Nieman said. “And it would be way better than being a walk-on at Winthrop.”

Nieman decided to play one year at Gulf Coast Community College to transition from Winthrop. Nieman became known as a sharp three-point shooter, averaging 9.1 points per game and shooting 44.8 percent from three point range.

“I didn’t want to transfer and lose another year at a Division I school, so I felt junior college was a better option,” Nieman said. “That was a good year for me.”

After a year at Gulf Coast Community, Nieman made the move to contact N.C. State and seek out a position on the team.

“I called up coach [Mark] Phelps, the assistant coach from last year, and asked him if they had any scholarships available,” Nieman said. “And he said they were all filled up. So I said, ‘What about just a position on the team?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, we are looking for one more walk-on.’ I sent him a tape, and he said it was good. So I decided to come here in the fall as a junior.”

Life at N.C. State

As a walk-on his junior year, Nieman received limited playing time under coach Sendek and scored only one point on the season. Nieman said he accepted his role and appreciated the opportunity to be on the team.

“I wouldn’t consider myself close to coach Sendek,” Nieman said. “But I didn’t have anything against him. I was just very appreciative of him giving me a spot on the team.”

But the departure of Sendek to Arizona State also meant the departure of three seniors and two sophomores in Cedric Simmons and Andrew Brackman, leaving gaping holes in the Pack lineup. Now, with Atsur out of the lineup, the team is looking for Nieman to contribute in the starting role, a role he never imagined he would play.

“I always pulled for State,” Nieman said. “I didn’t really see myself getting big minutes for them. I was thinking I could be on the team, but I never thought that this was going to happen.”

Thus far this season, Nieman, now on scholarship, has played aggressive defense with three steals, and he is averaging 22.2 minutes and 3.5 points per game. According to Nieman, his role on the team is not as much that of scoring as it is of complementing his talented teammates.

“I’m out there to play hard,” Nieman said. “To play good defense, to make good decisions, to take my shot, to take the open shot and let the other guys do what they do. I mean, they’re really talented; the other guys out there are very good. I’m not needed to do that much, except for make the right decisions.”

As for transitioning from playing against junior college opponents compared to ACC competition, Nieman said the key was conditioning and mental toughness.

“I dropped probably 15 to 20 [pounds] from last year trying to get quicker,” Nieman said. “That was the main thing I had to do to be able to compete in the ACC with these kind of athletes. As far as mentally, it’s just basketball — it’s the same game I’ve been playing. It’s not that difficult.”

Relationship with team

According to Nieman, the atmosphere and relationships with this year’s team and coaches are the best he has been around as a player.

“I love coach Lowe,” Nieman said. “He’s a great coach. He really makes coming to practice every day fun, and it’s a great atmosphere — this is the closest team I’ve been a part of.”

When junior Gavin Grant, Nieman’s roommate, was asked by a reporter if many ACC competitors had heard about Nieman, Grant answered without hesitation.

“I don’t know,” Grant said. “But I know the ladies know about him.”

Nieman laughed off his roommate’s suggestion.

“Gavin is just trying to divert the attention off of him as being the ladies’ man on the team,” Nieman said.

Grant went on to describe what he feels Nieman really means to the team.

“He’s kind of our unsung hero,” Grant said. “I don’t know how many basketball players know about him, but they will by the end of the year.”